Mathematician:William Stanley Jevons

Mathematician

English economist and logician.

Pioneered the mathematical approach to the study of economics.

Refined and developed George Boole's algebra of classes.

Nationality

English

History

• Born: 1 September 1835 in Liverpool, England
• Died: 13 August 1882 in Hastings, England

Inventions and Innovations

• The Logic Piano, an early mechanical computer
• Jevons' Number

Definitions of concepts named for William Stanley Jevons can be found here.

Publications

• 1862: A General Mathematical Theory of Political Economy
• 1863: A Serious Fall in the Value of Gold
• 1864: Pure Logic; or, the Logic of Quality apart from Quantity
• 1865: The Coal Question
• 1869: The Substitution of Similars
• 1870: Elementary Lessons on Logic
• 1871: The Theory of Political Economy

• 1874: The Principles of Science: A Treatise on Logic and Scientific Method
  • 1877: The Principles of Science: A Treatise on Logic and Scientific Method, 2nd ed.

• 1880: Studies in Deductive Logic
  • 1884: Studies in Deductive Logic (2nd Edition)

• 1882: The State in Relation to Labour

Notable Quotes

Can the reader say what two numbers multiplied together will produce the number $8616460799$? I think it unlikely that anyone but myself will ever know.

-- The Principles of Science: A Treatise on Logic and Scientific Method, $1874$

Sources

• John J. O'Connor and Edmund F. Robertson: "William Stanley Jevons": MacTutor History of Mathematics archive

• 1959: A.H. Basson and D.J. O'Connor: Introduction to Symbolic Logic (3rd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text I$ Introductory: $1$. Symbolic Logic and Classical Logic